Murmurs in the spark
by autobot fangirl
Summary: Set after TFP beast Hunters episode Chain of Command, Ultra Magnus sees Optimus leaving the new base late at night. Where is he going? What is he doing? The answer, shocks the commander.


A/N Hey everybody! Please enjoy this one shot. I was listening to a male cover of this song, and this popped into my head. I usually don't care for her work, but the song fit :D

Disclaimer: Hasbro owns Transformers, and the song belongs to the respective artist (who I will disclose at the end as to avoid plot spoiling :) )

Ultra Magnus rubbed his optics in exhaustion. He'd been on Earth for close to a month, and already, the paperwork was catching up to him. Contrary to popular belief among the few humans allowed to be around them, Autobots still had to file incident reports when something went awry. In this particular instant, the problem was caused by none other than Wheeljack. Whilst trying to entertain the natives, the Wrecker decided that it was a good idea to show them exactly what would happen if you tried to create an earth device called a firework with Cybertronian materials. Needless to say, a volatile projectile composed of energon plasma and multiple incendiary substances was a bad idea. To make matters worse, the white mech did not follow protocols about maintaining safe distances and the firework tipped over and rocketed straight into the open hangar of the new base that contained the ships. Magnus let off an audible groan at the damage report to his ship. The Xantium was now down a turbine and sporting a charcoal black exterior; not to mention shrapnel damage. To his bigger chagrin, the mech found out that the Jackhammer sustained minimal damage.

The second in command pushed the datapad with the damage report away from him. This was not his day or even his stellar cycle. It seemed everything that had happened since he came to Earth had been a enormous fiasco. The mech found himself wishing Prowl was around. At least that mech understood the need to follow protocol to the letter.

Ultra Magnus sat back in the chair in his quarters in thought as his optics furrowed slightly.

"Protocol..." He muttered

It appeared to be something that was lacking or even non-existent among Team Prime. Optimus seemed to have let military bearing slip away in favor of a more relaxed state of command. As much as the blue mech didn't wish to admit it, he felt like the commander was losing his touch. The Optimus he knew during the war for Cybertron wouldn't have been so sociable with his troops; but to be fair, things still got done at a reasonable pace, and Prime's recent upgrade had tipped the balance of power into Autobot favor for a time. There was still the issue of the Predacon, and the native female Miko demanding the right to keep the Apex armor, and then there was Prime himself. The new upgrade seemed to have put him on edge. Maybe it was the brush with death, maybe it was the fact he was now above par with Megatron, or maybe it was the not so little fact he could now fly. Honestly, Ultra Magnus had no idea what was getting to him. He seemed much more withdrawn at certain points of the day or during certain activities. When agent Fowler was talking to Ms Darby, Ultra Magnus happened to catch a glimpse at the Prime's face. He almost looked...hurt.

The sound of heavy footfalls out in the hall brought the mech out of his thoughts. Those steps sounded a bit too heavy for Bulkhead. The Wrecker Commander surmised that they must belong to Optimus. The blue mech checked his internal time. It was twelve thirty in the morning. Almost everyone was in stasis for the night. The Prime must've gotten up for an energon cube or something.

Ultra Magnus grabbed the finished report and got up. It was a good opportunity to just have the Autobot leader sign off on the datapad and be done with it. The Wrecker commander opened his door and moved into the hallway. To his surprise, he didn't see Optimus directly in his line of vision. The energon dispenser was on the far side of the open hangar room. A brief movement made him look sideways. The side of the wall was blocking most of his view, but he could see Optimus's pede move out of sight to the right. Straight towards the hangar doors.

Curiosity suddenly overtook Ultra Magnus. With a look of question on his face plates, the blue SIC quietly moved to the open room just in time to see Optimus walk out the doors and turn left. A small pang of suspicion crept into his spark. What if Optimus Prime was not the real Prime, but an imposter? What if it had all been an elaborate plan made by the Decepticons to finally crush the Autobots once and for all?

Magnus pushed the thoughts down as they were starting to run rampant. He reminded himself not to act like Red Alert when he didn't know all the facts. Still, he pressed on, silently tailing Optimus. The red mech walked to the edge of the base and moved to the end of the perimeter. With a fluid move, he stepped over the barbed wire fence and transformed into his newly formatted alt mode. With a small growl from his engine, the Autobot leader drove off towards the road. Ultra Magnus followed after a moment. Keeping his lights off, the mech followed as the Prime drove to an area with a rocky outcropping. The surrounding area though not part of the official base, was on American Government land. The result was that the Autobots could have about five square miles to walk and move freely without the worry of being seen.

Optimus slowed, causing Magnus to do the same. The red mech transformed and walked to the edge of the rocky outcropping that overlooked the dessert. Ultra magnus transformed silently and slunk behind a cluster of boulders and watched.

The night was still. There was only a thin sliver of moon tonight, but the the inky blackness was free of clouds, and the stars of the galaxy glimmered in their full majesty. Ultra Magnus's optics narrowed slightly; his curiosity and suspicion grew in unison as Optimus prime stood unmoving on the ledge for a few moments, as if taking in the scene. Then, to the blue mech's utter confoundedness, the mighty warrior in front of him sat down on the edge, letting his newly enlarged legs dangle over the side. A mammoth grey hand gently reached inside a subspace compartment and produced a small object. With a small flicker of light, the object, which Ultra Magnus now recognized as a hollo-scan projector, illuminated and produced a blue outlined image in front of the Prime.

For a few seconds, the chaos of war had impeded the Wrecker commander's memory. It then dawned on him as he got a better view of both the image and Optimus's face. Elita-one.

Optimus stared at the image for a few moments before a click resonated from him. A voice of a male native emitted from his radio. The music was sweet and soft, but not too soft to be unheard.

_**Well, it's good to hear your voice**_

_**I hope you're doing fine**_

_**And if you ever wondered**_

_**I'm lonely here tonight**_

_**I'm lost here in this moment**_

_**And time keeps slipping by**_

_**And if I could have just one wish**_

_**I'd have you by my side**_

An expression of shock crept onto Ultra Magnus's face as he watched in numb awe as the music continued.

_**Oh, oh, I miss you**_

_**Oh, oh, I need you**_

_**And I love you more than I did before**_

_**And if today I don't see your face**_

_**Nothing's changed, no one can take your place**_

_**It gets harder every day**_

_**Say you love me more than you did before**_

_**And I'm sorry it's this way**_

_**But I'm coming home, I'll be coming home**_

_**And if you ask me, I will stay, I will stay**_

Optimus's other hand moved to rest on the armor over his spark chamber. His optics shuttered before he opened them to look out at the night. The pain and longing in them was unmistakable.

_**Well, I tried to live without you**_

_**The tears fall from my eyes**_

_**I'm alone and I feel empty**_

_**God, I'm torn apart inside**_

_**I look up at the stars**_

_**Hoping you're doing the same**_

_**And somehow I feel closer**_

_**And I can hear you say**_

_**Oh, oh, I miss you**_

_**Oh, oh, I need you**_

_**I love you more than I did before**_

_**And if today I don't see your face**_

_**Nothing's changed, no one can take your place**_

_**It gets harder every day**_

_**Say you love me more than you did before**_

_**And I'm sorry it's this way**_

_**But I'm coming home, I'll be coming home**_

_**And if you ask me, I will stay, I will stay, always stay**_

Ultra Magnus felt pain and hurt crack down on his spark for his commander. To be separated from a spark mate for so long, to not know if they were happy or even safe...Primus, the Prime was stronger than he thought.

_**I never wanna lose you**_

_**And if I had to, I would choose you**_

_**So always stay, please, always stay**_

_**You're the one that I hold on to'**_

_**Cause my heart would stop without you**_

A sigh came from Optimus as he looked at the image and then back out to the stars.

_**I love you more than I did before**_

**_And if today I don't see your face_**

**_Nothing's changed, no one can take your place_**

**_It gets harder every day_**

**_Say you love me more than you did before_**

**_And I'm sorry that it's this way_**

**_But I'm coming home, I'll be coming home_**

**_And if you ask me, I will stay, I will stay, I'll always stay_**

**_And I love you more than I did before_**

**_And I'm sorry that it's this way_**

**_But I'm coming home, I'll be coming home_**

**_And if you ask, I will stay, I will stay, I will stay_**

The melody grew faint until it faded into oblivion. Optimus didn't move for awhile. He watched the outlined image of his beloved in silence for what seemed for eternity until with a small sigh, the image vanished and Optimus returned the cube to subspace. The Autobot commander stood up and looked out over the desert before turning around. The Wrecker Commander watched as Optimus walked by him and then stopped to transform. His headlights soon faded from sight along with the growl of his engine, leaving Ultra Magnus to stare at the stars. A comm message came through to him.

"Leave the report on my desk Commander. I'll get to it first thing in the morning. Good night, and enjoy the stars."

Optimus's deep baritone cut out before the shocked Commander could formulate words. With a sigh of surrender, he looked up to the stars. The twinkling bodies glittered like brilliant crystals, taking him back to a time he knew long ago; where hopes and dreams glittered among the horizons held in his spark. They really were beautiful.

A/N Hope you enjoyed! Disclaimer (again): Miley Cyrus owns the original song lyrics to the song Stay.


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